Beware Graphic Content Ahead!

This graphic image or word cloud was created using Wordle. It is derived from the subjects and authors of postings in PubLib for December 2011. The size of the graphics is directly related to the number of un-weighted unique occurrences each month of the individual words represented. Most automated graphic processes that generate these types of word clouds use additional weight for H1 – H6 tags through feeds. These graphics are not processed with H1 – H6 tags. The titles and authors were copied to Notepad and stripped of all HTML before being run through the Wordle Java platform. The process is case-sensitive so Library is not the same thing as library.

The most prominent word without employing filters would have been Publib. Publib and Fwd were deleted from the plaintext files before processing. In addition, the Wordle program automatically disregards articles, conjunctions, and prepositions.

Extracting the data from the archives became problematic in December. The Publib listserve moved from Webjunction to OCLC and OCLC put the archives in an obscure space viewable only by listserve subscribers. None of the archives are searcheable through the open web and must be viewed through a multi-step process. Even subscribing to Publib has become convoluted – although members who had subscribed before were apparently migrated successfully to the new server.

Once you do reach the archives, they can be sorted by Date, Topic, and Author. Big topics for December included: Favorite Reads of 2011 , reference stumpers , and Tax Season.